October 16, 2008
Wigwam's New Brand Architecture and Product Naming
Have you looked in your sock drawer recently?
Kind of a mess isn't it? Mine is anyway.
The Wigwam sock line, all 138 styles, certainly wasn't a mess, but definitely had expanded into a challenging portfolio for retailers to work with.
Strategic Name Development partnered with Wigwam, one of the few, if not the only, major sock manufacturer that can still claim "Made in the USA," to create a common naming nomenclature for its extensive line of 138 sock styles.
The styles were grouped into 5 competency areas:
- Sport
- Snowsport
- Outdoor
- Health
- At Work
The assignment included brand architecture, product naming and a packaging copy system to accompany the award winning packaging created by MSLK Graphic Design.
Some of the consumer-friendly language is reflected in the new product names like:
- The Big Easy
- Diamond Dancer
- Blue Ox
- Snow Whisper Pro
In fact, that consumer-friendly language included a new twist on "Made in USA" to "Proudly Made in Sheboygan USA." For those of you who may not know, Sheboygan is located on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.
Technorati Tags: Wigwam, Socks, Sock Naming, Product Naming, Brand Architecture, MSLK Graphic Design, Sheboygan
Posted by William Lozito at 12:22 PM
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August 7, 2008
Spanx Spanks A Dying Industry With Sexy Naming and Branding
One rarely sees a product where product naming is as crucial as it is with Spanx.
Spanx makes shapewear, which translates to pantyhouse, bras and girdles to the rest of us. Now, I know that no woman under the age of 80 wants to wear a girdle anymore, but shapewear, well, that's a different story!
And pantyhose? Forget it.
But a "Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Body Suit" is a completely different matter . . .
This product includes something known as The Great Divide, which, well, let's just say it's flattering to a woman's posterior.
If that's not your thing, how about High Power control pants, favored by the likes of Madonna and Gwyneth. What modern woman doesn't want more power and control in her life?
Spanx also offers "super slimming smoothing power" and assures buyers by saying "don't worry, we've got your butt covered."
This company, which is something of a start up miracle, doesn't even sell bras, they sell the "Bra-llelujah 'All-Hosiery' comfort bra."
Yes, the name is saucy and the product is pure retro, but it is a textbook case (possibly the textbook case) of how reframing a "dead" product with good naming can create a new market.
Hosiery and girdle makers everywhere take note, Spanx just spanked you.
Technorati Tags: Spanx, Shapewear, Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Body Suit, Bra-llelujah, Fashion, Women, Spanx, Product Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 10:09 AM
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July 10, 2008
Joseph Abboud Learns the Hard Way About Naming, Branding and Goodwill
Famed designer Joseph Abboud is offering two new fall collections next month bearing the names Black/Brown 1826 and Jaz, a luxury menswear brand that is a clipping of the word "Jazz," originally suggested by his daughter.
The reason he doesn't have his own name on the label is because he's not allowed. He lost naming rights to his own name after selling his fashion company in 2000 for $65.5 million to JA Apparel Corp, which now owns "associated names, trademarks, etc., including Joseph Abboud, designed by Joseph Abboud, JOE, JA, and similar or derivative terms."
After the seven-year non-compete clause had expired, Abboud pushed to use his name "in an informational way" to indicate that he was the designer of Jaz. In fact, he wanted to have a tagline that said "a new composition by designer Joseph Abboud."
The courts have ruled that he cannot do this legally. He is only allowed to "be himself" and make media appearances as himself, but he cannot use his own name to promote goods and services.
That's harsh, but as the Likelihood of Confusion blog asks, "why did he think he was getting $65.5 million?"
This is the inherent danger in using a personal name as a trademark. When things go wrong, as they did for Mr. Abboud, you lose the rights to your name for your next venture.
But what is interesting here is the technicality around what the word name means legally. The court seems to have interpreted it stringently but fairly. The key clause in the contract states that Abboud agreed to sell "all of [his] right, title and interest in and to: ...names, trademarks, trade names... and the goodwill related thereto."
This really leaves little room for argument that $65.5 million deal stripped Abboud not only of his trademark, but use of his name and goodwill. Michael Lechter of the Start-Up Blog says that the lesson here is "if you (or your attorney) are careless in drafting the agreement, then you may lose the benefit of your reputation as well."
Technorati Tags: Fashion Naming, Fashion, Joseph Abbound, Jaz, Black/Brown 1826, JA Apparel Corp
Posted by William Lozito at 10:13 AM
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June 17, 2008
British RAF Strafed By Product Naming and Branding Laws; Red Baron Laughs
Britain’s Ministry of Defense is threatening to sue a UK retailer for using the Royal Air Force (RAF) logo, referred to as a roundel, on a set of boys’ linen. This easily recognizable symbol has been used at least once before by members of the early sixties Mod movement.
It is interesting to note that the term Mod does not come from the acronym for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), but instead is derived from the term Modernism, which reinstated itself as Modism.
The RAF logo was used in the sixties by The Who, who still use it, and decades later by bands like Oasis and The Jam.
Even Snoopy has used the symbol, as the RAF is well aware.
Every school kid knows that Snoopy flies an RAF Sopwith Camel in his imaginary duels with The Red Baron. In fact, you can fly it yourself in the Snoopy vs. the Red Baron video game.
My feeling is that the RAF is going to lose this fight because their symbol is already very much in the public domain. Rock bands and fashion houses use it, cartoon characters use it, as well as video games. It is also pretty safe to assume that the linen is designed around British guitar heroes and not war heroes because the linen features pictures of guitars.
Interestingly, it turns out that the RAF can only use the insignia on “non clothing items” and the symbol itself, as any bi-plane pilot from the World War I would know, was originally used by the Royal Flying Corps (army) and the Royal Naval Service.
The RAF as we know it, only came into existence in 1918, the same month that the Red Baron was shot down.
As a matter of interest, the US Air Force seal is protected by law from uses not specified by the Air Force and is a registered trademark that requires a commercial license agreement if you want it for your own linen line.
Technorati Tags: Royal Air Force, RAF, Snoopy, Red Baron, US Air Force, Seal, Symbol, Mod Movement, Linen
Posted by William Lozito at 7:39 AM
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June 2, 2008
Is Hip-hop Branding and Naming Becoming Mainstream?
A new report analyzing the young urban consumer in the U.S. suggests that hip-hop has gone mainstream and “crossed over to suburbia.”
The target market for the hip-hop industry is now 37 million young urbanites, ages 12-34, who had a aggregate income of $594 billion in 2007, which will grow to $684 billion by 2012.
These urbanites put a “high priority” on brand loyalty and the top brands are those that have a direct connection with hip-hop artists, specifically brand names featured in song lyrics as well as on music videos.
Immediately Jay-Z's dissing of Cristal and big-upping of Armand de Brignac in a 2006 music video comes to mind, as well as Lil Jon’s venture to brand name wine from the Little Jonathan Winery.
Don’t laugh. Russell Simmon’s Phat Farm, Kimora Lee Simon’s Baby Phat label and all of the clothes designed by Sean-John are in demand.
Rolex, Lexus and Gucci have also decided to climb aboard the hip-hop bandwagon.
Hip-hop urban clothing is the new uniform for the streets, segmented into classic and modern styles.
Hoodies, for instance, are no longer an underground clothing item. The baggy clothes by Artful Dodger, Supreme Jeans, and True Religion are taking center stage, while “Nike Dunk SB, Nike Air Force One (AF1), Adidas Shoes, Puma Shoes, [and] Prada Shoes” have been claimed by hip-hop brand naming.
Along those same lines, a popular Japanese brand name is “Bathing Ape” or “BAPE” and is reportedly on its way to the malls.
Today, WuChess launches as a source of “online chess for the hip-hop crowd." The name was formed by the combination of Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and chess social network ChessPark.
Hip-hop is even causing trouble for Dunkin' Donuts when hip-hop's fascination with the kiffiyeh led to some controversy after celebrity chef Rachael Ray wore one in a recent commercial.
I'm sure that hundreds of thousands of people learned what the name actually kiffiyeh means last week. Including me.
This scarf seems to have caused endless trouble for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand name because of its alleged association with terrorism.
Fact is, when Dunkin’ Donuts and Chess are affected by hip-hop brand naming, it’s time to listen up.
Technorati Tags: Hip-hop, Phat Farm, Rachel Ray, Baby Phat, Jay-Z, Lil Jon, Rolex, Lexus, Bathing Ape, Bape, WuChess, Dunkin Donuts
Posted by William Lozito at 8:25 AM
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March 10, 2008
Tom Ford Gets Bond Brand Naming Blessing
I think that its fair to say that there are some brand names that the average American consumer would never have heard of if it wasn’t for James Bond. Think about the Lotus Esprit S1, or possibly the Aston Martin, and almost certainly the Walther PPK or P99.
The recent news that Tom Ford will be getting the nod to make the tux in the new Bond film is likely to help bring the designer further out of the Gucci spotlight and onto his own stage. Getting your brand naming entwined with Bond’s just makes sense.
The actual name of the new movie, Quantum of Solace, is based upon a 1960 short story by Ian Fleming. 
The movie will bring back many old friends from Casino Royale and none other than Amy Winehouse will be singing the title track.
Paul McCartney, who sang the title for 1973’s Live and Let Die, says “I definitely wouldn’t do it again. I have been trying to think of something to rhyme with ‘Solace’ and all I can come up with is ‘Wallace’! I don’t envy whoever is going to write the song!”
Technorati Tags: James Bond, Tom Ford, Casino Royale, 007, Live and Let Die, Quantum of Solace, Ian Fleming, Tux, Brand Naming, Amy Winehouse, Paul McCartney, Aston Martin
Posted by William Lozito at 9:35 AM
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March 6, 2008
Olsens, Abbey Dawn Offer Glam Tween Fashion Product Naming
I am a big admirer of the Olsen Twins brand name (Mary-Kate and Ashley) and the way in which these two women have leveraged their brand naming into a number of fields.
They are writing a book entitled Influence that will feature numerous photos of the two girls who have become walking brand names and have carved out a serious niche for themselves in tween fashion branding as well as in more mainstream clothing, for example, The Row.
Possibly inspired by the Olsen Twins’ success, punk rocker Avril Lavigne is getting all “girly” and is set to offer the Olsen Twins some competition with the introduction of her Abbey Dawn collection. Abbey Dawn being her childhood nickname.
The Olsen Twins, however, are, well twins, leading some bloggers to wonder if sibling branding may be a powerful trend. Witness the rise of the Olsen Twin’s siblings’ line Elizabeth and James and Twenty8twelve, a clothing line from Sienna and Savannah Miller: “The name of the brand comes from Sienna Miller’s birth date (December 28th).”
The fact is, product naming for tween girls is is getting just as cut throat as high street fashion and using entertainment icons to do the job seems to be a great way forward.
Technorati Tags: Fashion, Product Naming, Olsen Twins, The Row, Avril Lavigne, Abbey Dawn, Elizabeth and James, Twenty8twelve, Sienna Miller, Branding, Savannah Miller, Influence, Tween
Posted by William Lozito at 9:16 AM
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